It is finally confirmed

Fans of Superstar Rajinikanth thirsting to see a live action movie of their idol (Kochadaiiyaan is motion capture) will rejoice in the news that his next film is Lingaa. To be directed by KS Ravikumar who has helmed Thalaivar hits like Muthu and Padayappa, the live action film will feature the iconic actor in a double role. AR Rahman will score the music and Sonakshi Sinha and Anushka Reddy will be the leading ladies with Sonakshi paired opposite an older Rajini and Anuskha the younger Rajini.

Pon Kumaran, who made Charulatha, the hit Tamil and Telugu versions of Thai film Alone, has penned the script and Rockline Venkatesh from the Kannada film industry will produce.

Principal photography will commence on May 2 in and around Mysore.

Incidentally, Lingaa is the name of Superstar’s second grandson, the child of Dhanush and Aishwarya.

Conjoined twins are the current favourite film characters in Kollywood it would seem

Even as the Suriya-starrer Maattrraan is awaited, Charulathadirected by Pon Kumaran has hit the screens. The filmmaker, who’s previously worked with K Bhagyaraj and K S Ravikumar, has chosen to veer off the beaten path and has plumped for a thriller. Inspired by Thai film Alone, the movie has some spine-chilling moments interspersed with spirits, revenge and romance. The director has stuck to a minimal number of characters in an apparent bid to keep things simple. He has made a good attempt, but the predictable storyline is a let-down.

Priyamani, who plays the title roles and is making her way back into Kollywood after a hiatus, comes up with a stellar performance. Her presence makes even the dull moments watchable. She occupies the whole of the film and carries it entirely on her shoulders, while underlining her immense acting prowess. The others in the cast, including the protagonist Skanda, Saranya Ponvannan and Seetha add strength to the film.

The storyline goes thus: Charu and Latha (both played by Priyamani) are conjoined twins. Charu lives with a sense of guilt that her twin sister was separated from her through surgery. A few years after her sister’s death, Charu returns to her native place. There she encounters the spirit of her dead sister, who is looking to kill her. Charu is driven to the edge as she tries to save herself. Her fiance Karthik (Skanda) comes to her rescue. But he too faces Latha’s wrath. There is a twist in the tale towards the climax, which adds some interest to Charulatha.

The numerous sub-plots detract from the story and you cannot help thinking the suspense element is missing. The visual effects work though, and Sundar C Babu has come up with a score that helps the film. Charulatha is a novel attempt, but could have been executed better.

Priyamani who is currently filming Charulatha is all set to play a crucial part in Malayalam director Subil’s Ente Sathyanweshana Pareekshakal

The National Award winning actor seems to be on a roll. After hitting the jackpot with the unusual role of conjoined twins in an upcoming film titled Charulatha, Priyamani will also be seen in Malayalam film Ente Sathyanweshana Pareekshakal.According to the Subil, Priyamani will do an all important role in his movie, which has a unique storyline and will be a tribute to comedians in the industry. Meanwhile, the Southern sultry is busy working on Charulatha, which is being made simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Stills from the movie which were recently released to the media clearly indicated the effort Priyamani is putting into the role.

Inspired by the 2007 Thai movie Alone, which had Thai-German pop singer Marsha Wattanapanich in the lead role, Charulatha is being directed by Pon Kumaran, a former associate of K Bhagyaraj and KS Ravikumar. While everyone has been praising Priyamani for her efforts in the movie, the actor gives the credit to her body double in the movie, Deepika. Now isn’t that just sweet!